Much like The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Tom Dey’s Failure To Launch takes an easily stereotyped person and pokes harmless fun at them all the while both portraying them in an endearing manner and examining societal reasons as to why they are the way they are. In this case, it isn’t about drastically undersexed middle-aged men, but thirtysomethings who still live with their parents. These people have “failed to launch” into independence.

Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) is the man-child subject of this film, but he doesn’t stay at home for the typical reasons that someone of that age might (laziness, depression, financial problems, etc.) He lives with his parents because he likes it. It saves him from commitment, and his mother takes care of him as if he was eight. He doesn’t feel the need to change. His parents, Al (Terry Bradshaw, in his first theatrical release since The Cannonball Run!) and Sue (Kathy Bates) love their son, but just can’t stand living with him anymore. Together they devise a plan and hire Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to get Tripp to fall in love with her in order to convince him to get his own place. It wouldn’t be spoiling anything to say that Tripp and Paula do fall in love by the end, but getting there sure is fun with lots of other obstacles getting in the way aside from the inevitable and expected moment that Tripp finds out the truth.

This is situational comedy for sure. To the film’s benefit, though, the cast is perfect for it. McConaughey plays his character to perfection and the banter with his two best buds is entirely believable. I’m not, and never have been, a Sarah Jessica Parker fan, but she does an admirable enough job as the woman who tries to correct everyone else’s problems with love, but can’t seem to do anything for her own. We’ve seen these characters before in countless other romantic comedies, but it works to full effect in Failure To Launch. Of course, the supporting cast is usually what makes or breaks these movies, and it is probably the strongest part of Failure To Launch. Paula’s roommate Kit (Zooey Deschanel; always a fun actress) is absolutely hilarious. There is an entire subplot devoted to her not being able to sleep because of a mockingbird constantly chirping outside her window, and the many ways she goes about trying to kill it. This culminates in bird CPR, and makes for one of the funniest scenes that I have seen come out of Hollywood in a long time. Bates and Bradshaw as the parents work perfectly together. Bradshaw specifically, is comic gold and the entire “Naked Room” sequence is brilliant. (When Tripp moves out, Al turns Tripp’s old room into his nude sanctuary – with an aquarium). If these were Ben Stiller’s parents in Meet The Fockers, that movie might have actually been funny. All of the supporting characters really make the film shine and they elevate the film out of otherwise run-of-the-mill romantic cliché.

As for how well the scene was shot, it really isn’t anything special. I never once said, “Wow, that looked cool.” or anything remotely close to that. A lot of the background scenery was pretty though since much of the film takes place on beaches and the ocean. As for the soundtrack, the selections are really great. They dug out some staples that haven’t been used (to my knowledge) in abundance. In other words, you won’t be hearing John Mayer here. You do hear a great range from Nick Lowe to Ray Charles to Snoop Dogg and The Eels. It’s surprisingly diverse for a film of this nature, which again sets itself apart from the rest of the usually mundane pack.

It’s a date movie, and a really enjoyable one at that. I hope Failure To Launch finds an appreciative audience on DVD. It certainly deserves it.

The DVD Presentation
Failure To Launch was released to theatres just this past March. This proves time and time again that the window to video release just keeps getting shorter. As one might expect from a 2006 release, the video looks great. This release is in anamorphic widescreen (a full-screen version is available separately) and I couldn’t find a single imperfection. The audio is solid as well. It isn’t entirely immersive, but then again, this isn’t a blockbuster action flick. It’s a chick flick with a reasonably good soundtrack. Subtitles are included, which is a considerate touch. Overall, exactly what I expect for this type of film.

And the Extras Are?
Casting Off: The Making of Failure To Launch– (11:41)
This is your standard production featurette. It really amounts to selling the film instead of a lot of behind-the-scenes info. Paramount seems to have one of these for every movie ever. It doesn’t suck, it just doesn’t have much to say.

The Failure To Launch Phenomenon– (11:22)
This feature discusses the social phenomenon of those who live with their parents well past the time to leave. Some middle-aged people who still live with their parents are interviewed. It’s… odd. It’s kind of amusing however listening to Sarah Jessica Parker thinking she is a qualified psychologist and able to sum up this phenomenon since she was in the movie.

Dating in the New Millennium– (6:56)
A little mini-documentary surrounding online dating. It isn’t a bad feature and it is taken seriously, but including it here is somewhat of a silly inclusion, since no one in the movie dates anyone online.

Moviefone.com Unscripted with Matthew McConaughey and Terry Bradshaw– (13:38)
By far the best feature included here, this is a pretty good back-and-forth between the two actors interviewing each other about all different aspects of shooting the movie. A lot of territory is covered, and the conversation is very candid. Great stuff, especially from Bradshaw.

The Failure To Launch Contest– (5:58)
Apparently, as part of the effort to promote the film, Myspace.com created a contest for people who live at home and the grand prize is six-months paid rent. This feature interviews the three (out of 3000 entrants) finalists. The two male finalists are ridiculous and, thankfully, the interviewers make them look like the idiots they are.

Theatrical Trailer– (2:30)
Completely standard trailer that doesn’t at all make the film look anywhere near as funny as it is. It’s also non-anamorphic on this DVD. Don’t waste your time.

Previews–
Bonus non-anamorphic trailers for three films. Barnyard, She's The Man, and Mission: Impossible III.

It sounds like a lot, but most of it is self-congratulatory nonsense. I recommend watching the Moviefone.com bit which features some amusing wisdom from Terry Bradshaw and skipping the rest unless you feel really bored.

The Bottom Line
I was a bit apprehensive when assigned to review Failure To Launch so I watched it only because I was assembling an Ikea bookshelf and, since it was in English, I wouldn’t constantly be looking at the screen. That bookshelf is still unfinished so, I gotta admit, I had a really good time watching it. It’s very by-the-numbers, even by chick flick standards, but it is enjoyable enough and I can see this being a good movie to agree to watch with your significant other. If you are in the mood for a “feel-good” film, or just something light, Failure To Launch won’t make you want to scratch your eyeballs out. Hell, Terry Bradshaw alone makes it all worthwhile.